Tag: understanding

The Diary of a Different Dog is out and on Amazon and I am just so excited. It will be other places soon and on Kindle at the beginning of April. And I am so happy! In fact I don’t know if I am coming or going! I bet you want to know why I am so excited. Well… I’ll tell you. The Diary of a Different Dog is all about me and it’s all about you and the amazing things that we can do!

This book is so cool because it’s for younger kids and it has epic pictures to grab their attention. Well, I already grabbed everyone’s attention with my story but now the illustrations will too!

If you don’t already know about me, I will tell you so that you can be as excited as I am. You do want to be excited, don’t you? I’m sure you do.

The Diary of a Different Dog is my Diary

Well… I am a “fantasticomundo” and very abled dog even though I have special needs. My body was perfect for a long time but then I had an accident and now I need a wheelchair to get around. I love my wheelchair so much that I gave it a name, “Zoomie.” I love all kinds of kids and want to help them in any way I can! What makes me really special is that I can talk in a way that kids understand. I am there for kids and adults who need me.

I get what it’s like to lose confidence and feel alone when things go wrong. I am very honest and I say exactly what I think so everyone trusts me. I am not afraid to stand up to bullies because I understand them. The reason is that one time a very long time ago I was a bully. I bullied my brother and I am so sorry about that because I know how much I hurt him. I never bullied anyone after that. In fact I learned what it was like to be bullied too because I was bullied and that scared me a lot. So I guess what I’m saying is that I get kids. I get low self-esteem and I get bullying. I get what it’s like to be different and that’s why I teach the importance of accepting the differences in others. Ask me anything and I will tell you what I think. Get ready because what I say might surprise you!

So now you know and I sure hope you go to Amazon and check out my new book The Diary of a Different Dog! If you like it and I’m sure you will, please make a comment and give me a lot of stars!

Where are the bullies? Can you pick out the bullies on this image? Pay close attention and give each character the “benefit of the doubt.” Do you know what “benefit of the doubt”means? Well, I do so I’ll tell you.

Giving someone the “benefit of the doubt” means that if you aren’t positive that someone is doing something wrong, you give them a chance to show you that they are not doing something wrong.

So let’s look at these pictures and try to figure out which ones are bullies for sure!

Giving the “benefit of the doubt”

It is pretty obvious that there is no bully in this picture. One boy is hugging another boy who is crying.

This girl looks like she might be a bully because of how she is pointing with her finger and has an ugly look on her face. But if we give her the “benefit of the doubt” it could be that she is telling someone not to bully someone else. So she might NOT be a bully.

This boy doesn’t look like a bully but what if he just took the basketball from the boy who is crying in number 1? If he did, he just might be a bully.

This girl doesn’t look like a bully BUT maybe she is saying that she was just joking when she said something unkind to someone. Maybe she is a bully.

This girl is crying so probably she didn’t bully anyone. It looks more like she was hurt in some way.

This is just a big green frog. He may or may not be a bully frog because how would we know if he bullies other frogs? We should give him the “benefit of the doubt.”

Well what do you think about my friend and me in this picture? I know for sure that I am not a bully and I know that my friend isn’t a bully either!

This girl looks upset. Is she a bully? Maybe and maybe not so let’s give her the “benefit of the doubt.”

This character may be a bully or maybe he isn’t one. How can we tell? We can’t so let’s give him the “benefit of the doubt” because we shouldn’t judge him because of his appearance. I’m sure you agree!

This girl is laughing at someone or something. Is she a bully? Let’s give her the “benefit of the doubt” but look at how she is laughing. Does it look like she is laughing in a nice way or does it look like she is laughing in an unkind way? Hmmm… it looks like she might be a bully.

This picture is very obvious. One boy is tripping another boy. What kind of kid trips someone else? Since we can see that he is doing something mean, most likely he IS a bully.

Hmm… this is a mouse and mice scare a lot of people and that means he could be a bully. But let’s give him the “benefit of the doubt.” Just because mice scare people and he is a mouse, it doesn’t mean that he is a bully mouse.

What lesson did this teach you? I would love to hear from you! (As long as you get permission from your parents or another responsible adult.)

When I think about things that have made me the happiest, I think about people and animals that have shown how much they care because they had empathy. Empathy shows caring. Don’t you agree? It’s really strange because I keep hearing people say that money will make them happy or a bigger house or a nicer car will make all of the difference. I hear kids say that if they could be on the football team or in the popular group, they would be happy.

Do you know what I think? I think that when people place focus on one special thing to make them happy, they will miss all of the wonderful things that might make all of the difference for them. They forget to show or appreciate empathy.

Someone shared this story with us. I think it may change your day. At the very least, it will help you understand caring and empathy.

Empathy

“A storeowner was tacking a sign above his door that read “Puppies for Sale.” Signs like that have a way of attracting small children, and sure enough a little boy appeared under the storeowner’s sign. “How much are you going to sell the puppies for?” the little boy asked. The storeowner replied, “anywhere from $30 to $50.” The little boy reached into his pocket and pulled out some change. “I have $2.37” he said. “May I please look at them?” The storeowner smiled and whistled and out of the kennel came Lady, who ran down the aisle of his store followed by five teeny, tiny balls of fur.

One puppy was lagging considerably behind. Immediately the little boy singled out the lagging, limping puppy and said, “What’s wrong with that little dog?” The storeowner explained that the veterinarian had examined the little puppy and had discovered that it didn’t have a hip socket. It would always limp. It would always be lame. The little boy became excited. “That is the puppy I want to buy.” The storeowner said, “No, you don’t want to buy that little dog. If you really want him, I’ll just give him to you.”

The little boy got quite upset. He looked straight into the store owner’s eyes, pointing his finger, and said, “I don’t want you to give him to me. That little dog is worth every bit as much as all the other dogs and I’ll pay full price. In fact, I’ll give you $2.37 now and 50 cents a month until I have him paid for.”

The storeowner countered, “You really don’t want to buy this little dog. He is never going to be able to run and jump and play with you like the other puppies.” To his surprise, the little boy reached down and rolled up his pant leg to reveal a badly twisted, crippled left leg supported by a big metal brace. He looked up at the storeowner and softly replied, “Well, I don’t run so well myself, and the little puppy will need someone who understands.”

“Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” ~ Mark Twain

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Beverly N Smith, Med Reading Consultant Specialist

Written from a cute and smart disabled dog’s mouth, Rugby Jones reinforces children’s “Growth Mindset” that they can do anything if they believe they can! I highly recommend this book as a wonderful springboard for parent/child discussions as well as use in a classroom situation followed by discussions and writing opportunities.

Written from a cute and smart disabled dog’s mouth, Rugby Jones reinforces children’s “Growth Mindset” that they can do anything if they believe they can! I highly recommend this book as a wonderful springboard for parent/child discussions as well as use in a classroom situation followed by discussions and writing opportunities. - Beverly N Smith, Med – Reading Consultant/Specialist